Mushrooms are a wonderful and unique ingredient that is amazingly versatile. They can be used to replace any kind of meat in your favorite recipe or they can simply be used to add depth of flavor and texture to your next meal. One excellent way to cook mushrooms is to grill them, as you would meat. Here is how to make mushroom tikka, a wonderful variation on a classic dish, chicken tikka, that has its roots in Indian cuisine.[1]

Steps

Part 1

Gathering Ingredients and Tools

Purchase mushrooms. Mushroom tikka can be made with a wide variety of types of mushrooms.

White button mushrooms are a good choice for this dish. They are easy to find in almost any grocery store and they hold up well to the heat and the marinade.

2

Purchase other ingredients. You will need to add a variety of spices to flavor the mushrooms.

3

Gather tools and equipment. You will need normal cooking utensils, such as a bowl and knife, as well as a way to grill the mushrooms. The grilling can be done in an oven, on a grill pan, or on a barbecue, whichever you have available.

Part 2

Preparing the Ingredients

1

Wash the mushrooms thoroughly. Mushrooms are notoriously hard to clean and, because they grow so close to the dirt, they are usually quite dirty. Be delicate when cleaning them but be sure to get all the dirt off. Once clean, place them in a bowl.

If you prefer smaller pieces in general, slice the mushrooms into half lengthwise.

2

Season the mushrooms. Add the spices, flour, and oil to the bowl, except for the chaat masala and the lemon juice. Mix the whole thing so that the mushrooms are covered completely with the seasoning.

Let the mushrooms marinate for at least a half hour.[3] This will give time for the spices to really absorb into the mushrooms.

3

Put the mushrooms on skewers. Don't pack them too tightly together. They should have a little separation so that the heat can get to all the sides of the mushrooms.

You can use wood or metal skewers. If you use wood skewers, soak them in water for an hour before using. This way they will be less likely to burn during the grilling process.

Part 3

Cooking and Serving Mushroom Tikka

1

Grill the mushrooms. This can be done in the oven, on a fry pan, or on a barbecue, if you prefer.

To grill the mushroom skewers in the oven, simply place the ends of the skewers over the ends of a baking pan, so that the mushrooms are elevated in the middle of the pan. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and bake until the mushrooms look brown, about 25-30 minutes.[4]

To pan fry the mushroom tikka, heat a grilling pan on medium-high heat and put in coat in with oil. Cook the mushrooms until they are light brown in color, turning them over in the pan once to make sure both sides get browned.

To barbecue the mushrooms you will need to preheat your grill to medium high heat and grease the grate before placing the mushrooms on. Cook them until they are brown and softened a bit. Keep an eye on them, as cooking times will vary.

2

Serve the mushrooms. Once on a plate, sprinkle them with the chaat masala and the lemon juice.[5] You can serve the mushrooms over rice or as a side dish for any meal.

Mushroom tikka also makes a wonderful hors d'oeuvre.[6] To make them into individual bites that you can serve at a party, place the mushrooms on a tray with an individual toothpick in each one.

3

Add any leftover mushrooms to another recipe. You can easily use the mushrooms to prepare another dish, such as mushroom tikka masala. Simply use the cooked mushroom tikka to replace the protein in a recipe you already love or try a new recipe for masala sauce and add the mushrooms to it at the end.